With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.

In New York, rap cross-borough connections don’t happen as often as they should, but on “Know the Type,” Queens’ Lansky Jones recruits Brooklyn spitters CJ Fly and Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire for a smooth boom-bap track.

The well-studied 16-year-old Austin, Texas producer Wiardon provides the three New York emcees with a grimy instrumental that could fit on a 1997 DJ Premier mixCD. The trio are comfortable over the time capsule production, using flows rooted in NY tradition to drop in bars that reflect both the humor and harshness of life in their city. World’s Fair’s Lansky Jones takes the lead on his track, giving a sly nod to the ethnic diversity of his home borough: “I be in Queens like chicks who Guyanese/I be in Guyanese chicks that’s outta Queens.” Pro Era’s CJ Fly has noticeably refined his delivery, sounding more natural than he has in the past, whether he’s spitting about BK’s dark realities (“Saw a body drop right on my block, had me uncomfortable”) or likening himself to a cartoon character (“I’m a beast, boy so I’m used to the shape shifting”). And eXquire’s massive personality is a welcome addition to the back end of the track: “Go in his crib then I elbow drop him off his fuckin’ roof.” Currently, the New York hip-hop scene is more diverse than ever and it’s satisfying to see there is still room for time-reversing tracks like “Know the Type” to shine.